TOGAF Artifacts Gone Wild

Welcome to Episode 3!

Hello, architects! This week, we dive into the world of TOGAF artifacts—the unsung heroes of enterprise architecture. While these documents are vital for aligning business and IT, they often become more creative than their creators intended. Buckle up for a journey into the unexpected (and sometimes absurd) world of architectural documentation.

The Main Story: When Artifacts Take on a Life of Their Own

Imagine an ambitious enterprise architect meticulously crafting a Business Capability Model. Each box and arrow reflects deep strategic thought—until someone accidentally prints it in Comic Sans.

Or consider the Technology Architecture Diagram that started as a sleek representation of servers and clouds, only to evolve into an abstract masterpiece resembling modern art. By the time stakeholders review it, they’re debating whether it’s an architecture or a Rorschach test.

And who could forget the infamous Architecture Definition Document—the 75-page opus that nobody actually reads? The project manager skims it for the executive summary, the engineer flips to the diagrams, and the intern uses it as a monitor stand.

TOGAF’s Take: Bringing Order to the Chaos

TOGAF artifacts are meant to clarify, not confuse. Their power lies in their ability to communicate complex ideas across diverse audiences. The secret? Keep them concise, consistent, and aligned with the ADM’s goals.

Tips for Taming Your Artifacts:

1. Focus on the Audience: Tailor each artifact to the stakeholders who will use it.

2. Visuals Matter: A clean, well-organized diagram can be more effective than pages of text.

3. Embrace Iteration: Artifacts evolve, so don’t aim for perfection in the first draft.

Humor in Diagrams

Share Your Artifact Antics

What’s the most bizarre artifact you’ve encountered (or created)? Did it spark innovation or just confusion? Share your stories for a chance to be featured in a future issue!

Wrapping Up

Remember, a TOGAF artifact isn’t just a deliverable—it’s a communication tool. So next time you’re creating one, think of it as a bridge between strategy and execution, not just another document in the repository.

Next Week’s Sneak Peek:

“Death by Governance: When Too Many Rules Suffocate Innovation”

Until then, keep your artifacts sharp, and your fonts professional!